IKE Ekweremadu Denies Rumour That He Has Abandoned PDP, EXPECTS ALL South East Leaders To Deliver Region For The Party

👤 By Danjuma Aliyu, Editorial Director, DENISAURUS News

Ike Ekweremadu, 56, has strongly denied the rumour of his movement from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

Recently, Senator Ekweremadu, a professor cum politician from the South East was said to be seeking to join the APC after the Federal Government accused him of making false asset declaration.

But, this morning, the Deputy Senate President, who represents Enugu West in the upper chamber issued a statement on his Facebook Account denying he had joined the ruling party.

In a post written a few minutes ago, he said: “After the PDP lost the presidency and majority status at the National Assembly in 2015, I made it clear that I would stand by the party, no matter what.

“It took other party stakeholders and I a lot of efforts, sacrifices, soul-searching, and painstaking negotiations to hold the party together and rebuild it. If I did not abandon the PDP at its darkest hour, it does not make the slightest sense to say that I abandoned it now that its sun is rising again.”

The lawmaker who is facing stiff challenges from his APC Senatorial candidate over his seat, explained that talks of him leaving the party was “cheap blackmail, smear campaign, and extreme propaganda.”

He said: “it is important to reassure our supporters that the PDP is united and focused on wresting power from the All Progressives Congress, APC.”

The PDP selected Abubakar Atiku has its presidential candidate at a convention in Port Harcourt. Alhaji Atiku, a former Vice President of Nigeria, went on to select a former Governor of Anambra, Peter Obi has his running mate.

Some believe that the Deputy Senate President was not happy with this selection as he had hoped he would be the Vice President to Alhaji Atiku.

Those that made this claim, say Senator Ekweremadu has been silent during the campaign as sign of his annoyance at Alhaji Atiku who did not pick him as his running mate for the February election.

But the lawmaker refuted the claims, saying that he has in fact “held separate meetings with our Vice Presidential candidate, Peter Obi and the Chairman, South East Governors Forum, Dave Umahi, to work out strategies for the success of our party and candidates in the coming elections.

“We are also setting up a meeting of South East PDP stakeholders by weekend to continue to strategise on the coming elections. I have no doubt that the South East leaders will deliver the region overwhelmingly to the PDP and I expect that other leaders will also do the same in their respective geopolitical zones.”

The 56-year-old, therefore urged his “supporters not to be distracted by such propaganda as we approach the critical stages in the coming elections. We should rather focus on delivering the votes to ensure the success of our party.”